Canadian Hearing Society's Interpreting Services is funded by the Ontario government to provide skilled and trained sign language interpreters, at no cost,
to eligible service providers who are working with Deaf or hard of hearing victims of domestic violence and sexual violence or those exploited through human trafficking.

Who is eligible to request services?
Service providers working with Deaf and hard of hearing individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) or la langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) to communicate and are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence or those exploited through human trafficking. This includes service providers from the health, mental health, legal, police and social services sectors including hospitals, crisis intervention services, shelters, Legal Aid Ontario and court supports services.

What services are offered?
CHS provides on-site interpreting services in ASL-English in all regions of Ontario and LSQ-French services in the Ottawa and Sudbury regions, primarily. We also provide Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services where the technology permits. In addition, we have qualified Deaf Interpreters available who are fluent in ASL and have interpreting experience. They work together with a hearing interpreter to facilitate communication at times where enhanced communication is needed such as situations with immigrants or when children are involved. For more information about using Deaf Interpreters, visit www.chs.ca/about-deaf-interpreting.

How do I request services? Services are coordinated through our centralized scheduling centre.

Scheduled Requests:
Requests can be made during office hours:Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.